Jason Day is against one rule change that could be coming to golf

Back in the earlier stages of his career, the Australian was known for his length off the tee. Over the past six years, though, he’s settled around the 300-yard mark – with injuries playing a part in that drop-off since his prime.

He averaged 300.3 yards during the 2025 season. Back then, Day spoke to Golf Digest about Augusta National potentially bringing in a limited-flight ball at The Masters to address concerns about players overpowering the course.

And he made it clear that he saw a different issue as being far more important than how far players were hitting it.

“First off, people would still play The Masters. But if they did that, then they better shorten the tees again,” he said. “If we have limited-flight balls, we’re going to have four irons into number seven and things like that.”

“But do I want the ball to go shorter? No. Why? Isn’t it fun watching Dustin Johnson crush a drive over a lake 300 yards away? No one wants to see someone plod it down the right and not take it on. That’s boring.”

“If you push trying to rein it in too far, then people will stop watching golf. People want to see risk.”

“The problem is the architects – some of them anyway – decided that because the ball is going forever, they need to make courses longer to make them harder,” he said. “No you don’t. Just be a better architect.”

Jason Day saw what was coming for golf a long time ago

Some have a very different view of the coming changes – although Day, seven years ago, wouldn’t have known the specifics.

Rory McIlroy has thrown his support behind the ball rollback. The five-time major winner thinks most amateur players won’t even notice the difference.

But there are still some important discussions to be had. Neither the PGA of America nor the PGA Tour has backed these changes yet, so we’ll see how that develops over time.

The problem goes beyond just how far players hit the ball. Many courses on tour lack character and don’t leave a lasting impression on fans or players.

The real issue is course design, not just distance. Memorable holes and strategic challenges are what make golf interesting, and those elements often get lost in today’s setups.

This is why Day doesn’t believe that limiting golf balls will solve everything wrong with the sport right now.